Hong Kong businesses yet to tap into the silver economy

As Hong Kong enters a new era of longevity, a staggering 70% of surveyed businesses have yet to offer products or services tailored to the silver economy, revealing a significant untapped market.

Conducted by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC), the "Silver economy survey" aims to assess members' views on the business opportunities, challenges, and support needs within this rapidly evolving sector. The survey collected 104 valid responses between 15 September and 2 October 2026, comprising of respondents from SMEs (45.2%) and large enterprises (54.8%) across professional services, logistics, finance, and other key sectors.

The survey reveals that while businesses recognise an unprecedented macroeconomic shift on the horizon, they remain constrained by funding gaps and cross-border hurdles. Although the demographic shift presents lucrative opportunities, translating corporate interest into market participation remains challenging.

Locally, 46.2% of respondents cited a lack of funding incentives as the primary barrier to scaling silver offerings, followed by internal talent and expertise shortages (29.8%) and high operating costs with unclear returns on investment (27.9%).

When asked about the main barriers preventing businesses from exploring or scaling their offerings across the border, 50% of respondents cited restrictions or practical difficulties in cross-border capital and fund flows as their primary challenge. This was followed by differences in regulatory, licensing, certification or product-approval requirements (32.7%) and data privacy, transfer or information-sharing requirements (31.7%).

Despite these barriers, outlook is highly positive, driven by Hong Kong’s unique institutional strengths. Businesses identified Hong Kong’s internationally recognised legal, regulatory and consumer-protection standards (66.3%) and the high quality, safety and reliability of its products (60.6%) as the city’s top competitive advantages. This is consistent with businesses’ views on consumer priorities when considering Chinese mainland products or services, with 71.2% of respondents identifying quality, safety and reliability as an important consideration for customers seeking cross-border silver economy services.

Looking ahead, more than seven in 10 respondents (71.1%) believed that sustainability, innovation, and consumption will act as the core drivers for new business models. Companies have strategically pinpointed three priority growth areas: senior-focused consumption (26.9%), innovative technology for seniors (25.0%), and real estate and age-friendly built environments (23.1%).

“To confidently navigate the silver economy and translate untapped potential into active participation, businesses are looking for structural support”, said Patrick Yeung, CEO of HKGCC. “Our survey highlights a clear mandate for the chamber: a majority of our members are requesting actionable research and best practices, targeted business matching, and dedicated policy and funding seminars. HKGCC is fully committed to delivering these crucial resources to help businesses translate interest into real economic growth.”

Don't miss: HK unveils 30 measures to boost silver economy

The silver economy has emerged as a major development focus for the Hong Kong government, which in May last year unveiled 30 measures to promote the sector and enable the elderly to share in the benefits of economic growth.

The 30 measures have covered five areas, including boosting "silver consumption" (促進「銀色消費」), developing "silver industry" (發展「銀色產業」), promoting "quality assurance of silver products" (推廣「銀色品質保證」), enhancing "silver financial and security arrangements" (推廣「銀色財務及保障安排」), and unleashing "silver productivity" (釋放「銀色生產動力」). 

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